Collapsible plant container



Nov. 22, 1938.

R. B. OTWELL COLLAPSIBLE PLANT CONTAINER Filed Feb. 23, 1958 MU in 3 9 mFig. 4-.

0 a; OiINVENTOR BY /dqATTORNEY Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE- COLLAPSIBLE PLANT CONTAINER Ralph B. Otwell, Pinckney,Mich.

Application February 23, 1938, Serial No. 191,927

3 Claims. (01. 47---37) This invention relates to an improvement in er,showing a knife in the act of slicing away a collapsible containeradapted for planting, one of its panels.

shipping, and the display of shrubs, trees or oth- Figure 2 is avertical cross-sectional View er plants and is an improvement over thatshown through the container.

in applicants co-pending application for patent, Figure 3 is a view ofthe blank before mak- 5 Serial No. 168,985, in which openings are proihgD as a ee t ne vided extending at right angles from the respec- Figure 4is an elevation of the container as tive corners of the container,through which the it would appear when collapsed. roots of the plantbedded therein may pass into Figu e 5 s an e d View Of e contai er, 601-the ground in which it may later be planted. lapsed for shipment orstorage, and as it appears 10 An object of the present invention is toprobefore being set-up to receive the soil and vide a plant containerwherein the walls of the pla container have offset panel portionsintegral Referrin OW to he refe nce cha acters with the walls boundingthe panels and which upon the drawing to indicate the several parts:-

l5 remain intact therewith to support its soil eon- Numeral 2, denotesthe collapsible container tent and the plant bedded therein untiltransas it would pp When housing a young t e 0 ferred to a permanentlocation in open ground. plant, Showing One Of the Panels about to beThe panels are then severed from the wall of moved,--pr p ory o pl n nthe y un r the container by slicing through the offset ledge in pground, and While d e in e conconnecting the panel in spaced relation tothe e 0 parallel walls bounding said panels. The panels The humeralindicates the panels raised y being thus removed, the earth is exposedin an ofiset m 4, from the w l 5, undin t the container withoutdisturbing the latter, or P scausing injury to the roots of the plantbedded Flaps 5, integral With the Walls a pted thereinand the soil maythus readily interto fold v the p of e il lodged in th mingle with thesoil in which the plant is bedn n vi a Central op n n through ded. Theplant is thus not subjected to a set which t st 8, of t plant r t may owba k, resulting in a change from it former and be Watered. Like flaps 9,integral with the h bit t or t ti lower edges of the container form afloor to 2,0 A further object of the inventio is th t by support thesoil and plant housed therein, leavmaintaining the walls of the plantcontainer ina Central drainage hole through Which tact, without openingstherethrough, until it molsture f is about to be bedded in ground theplant The container is filled with soil fertllizer and will always be incondition for display and Qther sultable. plant food whlfzh t growth.Furthermore the walls of the container fgg ii g gg and m whlch rema'msare not weakened due to openings and therep a e m e open ground Thecontainer is constructed of a suitable fore keep their shape regardlessof the rno1sture Waterproof paper or fabric, and the walls remain of thesoil within the container, or other like imperforate until the plantsare to be bedded in 40 causes. A further advantage 1s that the rootstheir final location in open 40 f the plant Cannot extend through theWall Of The imperforate Walls insure the container bethe container tointerlock with the roots of ading maintained in proper shape and form,while jacent plants, nor are there any openings the roots and soil areretained within its walls, through which the soil may spill or protrude.thus providing a pleasing display unit for either is With the foregoingand other objects in view, se y or ree house, and equa y sat a t y whichwill appear as this description proceeds, pp to t buyer ess O the lengththe invention further resides in the details of Of haulageconstructionhereinafter described and claimed, p reaching its destination and beforep it being understood that changes may be made the panels a e Sliced yfrom the Walls in the precise embodiment of the invention hereof thecontainer, as ind c in F gure 1 of the 50 in disclosed without departingfrom the spirit aw thereby p s t soil a d r ts,

of. the same. without disturbing the soil or causig injury to In thedrawing accompanying this specificathe roots Of the tree p nttion; Thecontainer with its tree or plant may thus Figure 1 is a perspective viewof the centain be bedded in the SOil designed for its future 55 habitat,in which the roots of the tree will rapidly grow and the soilsintermingle.

What I claim is:-

1. In a planting unit for gardens; a tubular container, having wallsformed with a plurality of panels extending outwardly, and from theplane of the walls bounding said panels; and an outstanding rim portionintegral with both the walls and panels, adapted to provide aconstruction whereby said panels may be readily sliced from the wallsbounding said panel to permit the growth of plant roots into outer soil,without disturbing the soil housed in the unit, or injuring the roots ofa tree or other plant bedded therein.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a tubularcontainer, rectangular in cross-section and constructed of pliablematerial, having walls formed with panels projecting outwardly and fromthe plane of the walls bounding said panels; a relatively narrow rimintegral with both the walls and panels, forming a ledge adapted tofacilitate the removal of said panels when pierced by a knife blade heldparallel to the wall and. panel, whereby the panel may be removed 'fromthe wall of the unit without disturbing the soil in which a plant may bebedded in said unit, or injuring the roots of said plant bedded therein,and whereby said roots may grow beyond the confines of the walls of thecontainer into the soil in which they may be subsequently bedded.

3. In a planting unit for gardens; a tubular container having an openingat its upper end through which the stem of a plant may extend, and adrainage hole at its lower end for the discharge of water, said plantcontainer having walls formed with a plurality of panels extendingoutwardly and raised above the plane of the walls bounding said panels,whereby an outstanding ledge is provided integral with the panels andthe walls bounding the latter, to facilitate the removal of the panelsby slicing through said ledge, without disturbing the soil housed in theunit or injury to the roots of a tree or plant bedded therein, andwhereby the plant roots may be free to enter the outer soil in which thecontainer may later be bedded.

RALPH B. O'I'WELL.

